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How to Interrupt Someone in a
Nice Way |
Imagine that you are talking with a friend who lives
overseas. You haven’t seen or spoken to the person in a
year and he or she has much news to share.
The friend talks for a long time and you listen…for a
long time. But, you want to tell them you have to go to
work. How can you do it? You might need to interrupt
them, but in a kind way.
There are many reasons that interrupting a speaker or
group of speakers may be necessary. They include to:
End a conversation
Ask a question
Give someone a message
Or to join a conversation
The goal is to be able to do these things in a polite
way. In today’s Everyday Grammar, we will share some
language you can use.
To end a conversation
So, let’s return to our situation from the start of the
program: the desire to end a conversation.
There are times when we want or have to leave a
conversation before a speaker finishes. In these
situations, we can use one of these phrases:
I’m sorry to interrupt but…
I hate to interrupt but…
I’m sorry to cut this short but…
Here’s how someone might use one of these in
conversation:
So, anyway, we get there and as soon as…
I’m sorry to interrupt but I have to be somewhere in an
hour.
Oh, okay, no problem! Let’s catch up more next week.
Note that when we interrupt a speaker for any reason, we
almost always begin with “Sorry,” “I’m sorry” or, for
some kinds of interruptions, “Excuse me.”
To ask a question
Now, let’s move to another common situation: the need to
ask a question.
There are times when we have a question about the
subject of discussion or even an unrelated subject. Or,
we may want to make sure we’ve understood the speaker
before they continue speaking.
Here are two useful phrases for asking questions:
Sorry to interrupt but may I ask a question?
I’m sorry for the interruption but I have a quick
question.
Or, here’s what you can say to check that you’ve
understood the speaker:
Sorry for interrupting, but I want to make sure I
understand.
Then, you can ask or state something to make sure you’re
clear on the speaker’s meaning.
Now, let’s hear how someone might use one of these
phrases. Suppose the interrupter briefly walks into a
meeting in progress:
Sorry for the interruption, but I have a quick question.
What time do the exchange students get here?
They should be here by 2:30.
Great! I’ll have their welcome packets ready by 12.
Note the very small differences in form between “to
interrupt” “for the interruption” and “for
interrupting.” All are common in American spoken
English.
To give a message
In other situations, you may need to give someone a
message that cannot wait, such as to inform them about a
phone call or other time-sensitive issue. In giving such
messages to people while they are speaking, we sometimes
start with “Excuse me”:
Excuse me, Bryan. There’s a phone call for you on line
1.
Sorry to interrupt, but you’re needed in the lobby to
sign for a package.
Note that the phrase “Pardon me” is another way to say,
“Excuse me,” but is less common except in very formal
situations.
To join a conversation
And, finally, there are times when you want to join a
conversation between two or more people.
Sometimes, this is easy to do because you’re already
friendly with the people and they are talking casually
about a subject.
Other times, the speakers are so deep in discussion that
there are no natural breaks in their speech. But you
still want to offer an opinion, make an important point
or share some information.
These phrases can help you enter a conversation:
Excuse me, but may I jump in here?
Sorry to butt in, but…
May (or) Can I add something here?
I couldn’t help overhearing…
“I couldn’t help overhearing” means “I couldn’t avoid
hearing what you said.” Be careful to use this phrase
only with people who would react kindly, such as friends
or coworkers.
Listen to a short talk between coworkers:
Did you catch the Golden Globe Awards? I was so happy to
see Alfonso Cuarón win best director!
I know! “Roma” was a beautiful film.
I couldn’t help overhearing you talk about “Roma.” I
just watched it last night. Wow, what lovely
cinematography.
So, you just learned how to politely interrupt other
people. But what might you say if someone interrupts
you? You can tell us in the comments area.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Caty
Weaver was the editor. |
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